Karate Conditioning????

[Homie007]

Hey Ive been practicing mixed martial arts for about a year until I found a style I loved(Kenpo Karate). Now that after about six months I have virtually no clue how to start building my body. Yeah i know the basics but what about weight training, running, calastetics, etc??? I want my build to compliment my martial art, just like in boxing i had a routine, but now other than constant practice of kicks and techniques Im kinda lost. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks....

[Fearun9033]

I personally have a routine for Shotokan Karate which is rather simple and not very time consuming. First of all, I think the most important 3 things for Karate are physical endurance, pectoral muscles and the quadriceps in front of the legs.

I'm not super hardcore in terms of training, but what I usually do is jogging (Bruce Lee himself said that cardio is super important). For the pects, I do pushups (you can do them on your first 2 knuckles like me to strengthen them). For the quads, I do squats followed by a front kick. So squat down, up, front kick, down up, change legs.

I also complement with sit ups. I asked my sensei and he said that these are basically the most important muscle groups. By all means, keep doing whatever routine you already have, I'm just pointing out what I think are the most important.

Hope it helps!

[tallgeese]

Check out crossfit.com, it's heavily into functional activity training. The progarm is pretty good. Even if you don't go in fully you can take plenty from the site.

[Sokusen]

I agree Cross fit is great. It's built on the principle of not letting your body get used to a certain exercise regime thereby plateau-ing and never seeing results. Also think about incorporating polymeric exercises to build that explosive speed. Karate is supposed to be "one shot one kill" so that one shot better be quick and powerful. It doesn’t get any more explosive then that!

[KarateGeorge]

Yes, plyometrics are great for building that speed. You want to build those fast twitch muscles. So look for ways to incorporate some plyometrics into your training if you haven't already.

[weberje030916]

Don't forget that core strength! Good overall combat fitness encompasses many different facets. Is crossfit all you should do as a martial artist? Prolly not. The question to ask is what are your long and short term goals and what can you do to better reach those?

[mr_obvious]

Yes, plyometrics are great for building that speed. You want to build those fast twitch muscles. So look for ways to incorporate some plyometrics into your training if you haven't already.

^^ X3

How to train and condition is one of those subjects, ask 10 different people, get 10 different answers. So I say find out what you like to do, that you'll stick with, and can do with the resources available to you.

[JackDLion]

Dont go for any of that sissy, chrome and fern crap. Find a place that does hard core strongman training. Im dead serious. Or make your own stuff out of Army duffle bags, sand bags and awkward heavy things to lift. Try lifting an old beer keg full of water. Build brute, useable strength.

[Toptomcat]

'Chrome and fern?'

[Shizentai]

something I have found remarkably effective is just doing your regular kata or kihon training with weights outside of class.

I've never been to a gym in my life, but I am the only woman I know with an eight-pack.